Intraocular lenses (IOLs) are used to treat a wide variety of physical maladies including near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism, and cataracts. IOLs are placed within an eye by cutting the eye open and inserting the IOL. Typically an IOL includes a small lens with side struts, called haptics, which are used to hold the lens in place inside the eye.
IOL insertion for the treatment of cataracts is a common ophthalmological surgical procedures in the United States and around the world. The procedure is frequently completed under local anesthesia and usually takes less than 30 minutes. Furthermore, the recovery time is relatively short (approximately 2-3 weeks). However, one major disadvantage associated with cataracts lens replacement surgery, and the conventional IOLs used, is that IOLs are typically only focused for long distance sight. While patients who undergo standard IOL implantation no longer experience cloudy vision from cataracts, they largely lose their ability to accommodate (change the focal length of their eye(s) from near to far).
To remedy this problem, accommodating IOLs have been developed that incorporate an active focusing optic to mimic the natural accommodative process. While these accommodating IOLs offer significant improvement over their non-accommodating counterparts, rarely does the vision of the person receiving the lens return to the pre-cataracts natural-lens state.